Tank cleaner



May 9, 195o R. c. OSBORN 2,507,042

TANK CLEANER Filed March 14, 1947 lE- L JNVENToR. ,o RALPH C. OSBoRN BY M Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TANK CLEANER Ralph C. Osborn, Bloomington, Ill., assignor to Eureka Williams Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application March 14, 1947, Serial No. 734,652

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to tank cleaners and has particular reference to a novel, efficient and simple dirt ltering arrangement therefor.

Emptying the dirt from the vacuum cleaner is a disagreeable and dirty task and because of this users frequently neglect to perform this operation as often as they should whereby the efficiency of the cleaner is materially impaired due to the fact that the collection of dirt in the cleaner reduces the performance of the fan system, Disposable dirt collecting and filtering bags have been suggested and used to a limited extent but generally the cost of the bags is such that the users frequently use them until they are full in order to reduce the expense of using such bags, so that this expedient has not heretofore proven to be satisfactory from a commercial point of v1ew.

in accordance with the present invention I employ a dirt collecting receptacle in the form of an open top pan in combination with a roll of porous filtering material arranged so that an unwound end of such roll extends across the open top of the receptacle. Dirt laden air is introduced into the receptacle, and the air in owing out of such receptacle must iiow through such filtering material which functions to separate the dirt from the air and the separated dirt is collected in the receptacle.

In addition, I contemplate that agitating or vibrating means may be employed to vibrate the filtering material so as to help dislodge dirt therefrom. The ltering material is arranged so that when a portion thereof becomes choked with dirt the roll may be further unwound to arrange a fresh portion above the receptacle and the old portion may be torn 01T and readily disposed of. The cleaner is arranged so that the dirt collecting receptacle may readily be removed therefrom and the dirt dumped out of said receptacle.

Principal objects of the invention therefore are to provide:

A new and improved suction cleaner;

A new and simpliled filtering arrangement for a suction cleaner;

A novel and simple dirt iiltering and collecting arrangement for a suction cleaner of the tank type.

y Other and further objects of the invention Awill be apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which there is one sheet and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view with parts vUtl laden air into the cleaner where the dirt is filteredv broken away of a tank cleaner embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View with the casing in its open position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 3 3. of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; v

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the staggered line 1 1 of Fig. 1.

A tank cleaner embodying the invention may comprise upper and lower casing members l0 and I2 pivoted together by hinge I4. A latch I6 secured to the lower casing member is engageable with a shoulder I8 on the upper casing member for securing the same in their closed position as illustrated in Fig. l. A release button 28' is arranged to release latch IB from the shoulder I8 so that the casing may be opened, that is, the casing members arranged as shown in Fig. 2.

The casing has a filtering and dirt collecting space indicated generally at 2li in which an open top pan 0r receptacle 22 is arranged. The casing is provided with an air iniet 24 through which dirt laden air flows into the receptacle 22. A detachable coupling 26 may be secured in such inlet, such coupling being secured to one end of a flexible hose 28, to the other end of which a conventional suction cleaning tool may be connected.

The receptacle 22 may be notched as indicated at 3i! in Fig. 'l to accommodate the inner end of the coupling 26 which may project a short distance into the receptacle 22. The receptacle 22 may be lifted out of the casing when the same isk opened, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of dumping the dirt from the receptacle 22.

A. suction creating means comprising an electric motor 32 and a fan 3ft driven thereby is ar ranged in the casing with the inlet of the suction creating means in communication with the ltering and dirt collecting space 2G. The upper casing member may be provided with an exhaust outlet 3S through which air may escape .from the cleaner casing. The suction creating means, as is common in the art, induces the flow of dirt out of the air and the air is then discharged from the cleaner.

For further details respecting the construction of a cleaner of the type illustrated but with a different dirt filtering arrangement, reference may be had to my prior copending application Serial No. 706,750, led October 3U, 1946, i'or Tank type suction cleaner.

The dirt iiltering arrangement of the present invention comprises a roll 4D of porous filtering material such as papel` arranged with an un` wound end or portion thereof indicated at 42 extending across the filtering and dirt collecting space 2t so that all of the air entering the space through the inlet 24 must pass through the unwound end 42 of the ltering material on its ow to the suction creating means durinrr operation thereof. The roll of ltering material it is rotatably supported on a roll holder 42 which is removably supported by arms 4d formed integrally with the upper casing member. The roll holder 42 may be of any conventional type and is arranged within the core of the roll dil, The ltering material from the roll 4Q in the form or" a sheet is extended down over a roller d which is removably supported by the upper casing ber as shown in Fig. 6.

The roller 45 is arranged parallel to and just above one side edge 48 of the receptacle 22. The filtering material after extending around the roller 46, as shown in Fig. 3, extends across the open top of the receptacle 22 and has its free end clamped between the meeting edges of the upper and lower casing members i2 and E5, as shown in Fig. 3. The upper casing member is provided with horizontally extending walls or baffles 5D and 52 which when the casing is closed are arranged to contact the upper edges of the receptacle 22 at the front and rear thereof as shown in Fig. l. The unwound end i2 of the roll of filtering material extends below the baiiles and 52 and is clamped between the upper edges of the receptacle 22 at the front and rear thereof and such baiiies.

The dirt laden air which flows into the receptacle 22 will have the dirt separated therefrom by the unwound end 42 of the ltering material which extends across the top of the pan 20. The air ows upwardly through such ltering material and thence rearwardly in the casing through the opening 6U and the filter 62 into the suction crea-ting means and thence through the discharge chamber G4 and the outlet 36 from the casing. The lter 62 may be a removable filtering element which extends across the inside of the casing and is employed to prevent dirt from getting into the motor and fan in the event of rupture of the lter 42.

To prevent the build-up of ne dust particles on the unwound end 42 of the lter, a solenoid actuated vibrator G6 may be employed. This vibrator comprises a member on the swinging end of spring arm 68 secured at 'l0 to the upper casing member l2. A solenoid 'l2 is arranged to operate the vibrator arm 68 so that the iiltering material extending across the top of the pan 22 is continuously vibrated while the suction cree-.+- ing means is in operation. The circuit for the solenoid 12 is connected with the motor circuit. The vibrator will serve to keep the under side of the ltering material extending across the tcp of the pan relatively clean and permit maximum air flow through the cleaner at all times. As the filtering material vibrates, the dirt from the ltering material falls into the receptacle 22. The

4 receptacle 22 may be formed of paper so as to be disposable.

After a clean receptacle 22 is reinserted in the cleaner a suicient length of the filtering material is pulled from the roll so that a clean ltering surface may be presented to the air flowing through the cleaner. When the clean portion of the iiltering material is arranged horizontally across the lower side of the upper casing member l2, the casing is closed and thereafter the used filtering material may be torn or cut off even with the meeting edges of the upper and lower casing members.

With the `foregoing arrangement no cloth bag is necessary and the dirt receptacle 22 may be easily removed and replaced. The filtering paper is always relatively clean due to the action of the vibrator 66 so that maximum air flow through the cleaner may always be obtained. This keeps the cleaner working at its top efciency and prevents overheating or burning out of the motor 32.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that this is capable of modication, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alternations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A tank cleaner comprising upper and lower casing members pivotally connected together at one end, releasable locking means associated with the other end of said casing members for securing the same in their closed position, said casing having a ltering and dirt collecting space with l an air inlet thereto and suction creating having its inlet communicating with said space, an open top dirt collecting receptacle removably arranged in said space in said lower casing inember, a roll of porous ltering material rotatably mounted on the cleaner with an unwound portion thereof extending across said space at the joint between said upper and lower casing members and .above said receptacle so that all of the air entering said space through said inlet must pass through said unwound portion oi said inaterial on its ow to said suction creating means during operation thereof, said unwound portion of said roll of filtering material being arranged to act as a lter and so that dirt separated thereby from the air will be collected in said dirt collecting receptacle and means operable simultaneous with said suction creating means for vibrating said unwound portion or" said filtering material, said unwound portion of said iiltering material being free when said casing members are separated so that such portion may be manually grasped and thereby projected outwardly beyond the connes of said casing members, as a result of which a fresh portion of said roll will be unwound therefrom and positioned. to be operatively arranged above said receptacle when said casing members are secured in their closed positions, said casing Amembers having means carried thereby for clamping the unwound portion ci said roll above said receptacle in position when the other end of said casing members for secur ing the same in their closed position, said casing 751having a filtering and dirt collecting space with creating means during operation thereof, said unwound portion of said roll of filtering material being arranged to act as a lter and so that dirt separated thereby from the air will be collected in said dirt collecting receptacle, said unwound portion of said ltering material being free when said casing members are separated so that such portion may be manually grasped and thereby iprojected outwardly lbeyond the contines of said casing members, as a result of which a fresh [portion of said roll will lbe lunwound therefrom and positioned to be operatively arranged above said receptacle when said casing members are secured in their closed positions, said casing members having means carried thereby for clamping the unwound portion of said roll above said receptacle in position when the casing members are closed, and said outwardly projecting end olf said unwound portion being disposed when the casing members are closed so that it may be torn or cut ol.

3. A tank cleaner comprising separable upper and lower casing members connected together, said casing having a filtering and dirt collecting space with lan air inlet thereto and suction creating means having its inlet communicating with said space, a roll of porous ltering material rotatably mounted in said upper casing member with an unwound portion thereof extending across said space so that all of the air entering said space through said inlet must pass through said unwound portion of said material on its flow to said suction creating means during operation thereof, said unwound portion of said roll of iiltering material being arranged to act as a lter and so that dirt separated therebyr from the air will be collected in said dirt collecting space, said unwound portion of said ltering material being free when said casing members are separated so that such portion may be manually grasped and thereby [projected outwardly beyond the connes of said casing members, as a result of which a fresh portion of said roll will be unwound therefrom and positioned to be operatively arranged above said receptacle when said casing members lare secured in their closed positions, said casing members having means carried thereby for clamping the unwound portion of said roll above said receptacle in position when the casing members are closed, and said outwardly projecting end of said unwound portion being disposed when the casing members are closed so that it may be torn or cut off.

4. A tank cleaner comprising separable upper and lower casing members connected together and having a filtering and dirt collecting space with an air inlet thereto and suction creating means having its inlet communicating with said space, an open top dirt collecting receptacle in said space, a roll of .porous iiltering material rotatably mounted on and within the upper one of said casing members with an unwound portion thereof extending across said space so that all of the air entering said space through said inlet must ipass through said unwound portion of said material on its flow to said suction creating means during operation thereof, said unwound portion of said roll of iiltering material being arranged to act as a filter and so that dirt separated thereby from the air will be collected in said dirt collecting receptacle, said upper casing member having lbaliies extending thereacross, above and in overlapping relation with the sides of said unwound portion, said Ibaiiles being disposed above the front and rear edges of said pan so that the sides of said unwound portion will be clamped between said ballies and said front and rear pan edges, a guide at one side of said space and below said roll and over which said unwound portion extends, the free end of said unwound portion being clamlped between the meeting edges onf said casing members at one side of said casing.

RALPH C. OSBORN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,211,934 McAllister Aug. 20, 1940 2,337,893 Ellis Oct. 30, 1945 2,409,078 Swann Oct. 8, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 62,516 Denmark July 31, 1944 47,338 France Dec. 21, 1936 

